We are now in a position to let the members know how the structure of our community will be changing in the very near future. The changes are necessary to allow us to grow and support the community in a multi-gaming environment. Some of the detail has already been implemented but here is a full overview of the new structure.
Community Management
TeaLeaf and OldBloke are the community leaders. They have the responsibility of ensuring that this community is run in accordance with our guidelines and that its excellent reputation for fairplay, mature attitude and teamwork is maintained across all sections. They will be aided in this by a team of 'Section Heads' with specific roles and responsibilities:
Section Head - Hosting (Gandalf)
The Head of this section will look to provide the community with a cost-effective and quality home for the community's forum and gaming servers.
Section Head - Servers (Blueball)
The Head of this section will ensure that we are running game servers that reflect our own community's needs as well as game servers that are specifically targeted to attract online gamers towards our community.
Section Head - LAN (Penfold)
The Head of this section will ensure that we continue to offer community members and guests the opportunity to attend a LAN event to be held twice yearly.
Section Head - Forum (Smilodon)
The Head of this section will be responsible for the general administration, configuration and maintenance duties that a forum of the size and complexity of ours demands.
Section Head - Supported Games (see below)
The Heads of each section will ensure that their section is run in a manner befitting Dead Men Walking. They will have the final say on who wears their associated tag and who is appointed as an admin.
CounterStrike - Whitey
Call of Duty 4 - Armitage
Dead Men Racing - Doorman
World of Warcraft - Sheepy
Forum Structure
We will be introducing a collection of badges that will be awarded to individual members based on their participation within the community. These badges will be displayed as part of the member's forum profile for all to see. For example: if a member is awarded the CounterStrike 'Game Tag' badge it means they are entitled to wear the community's CounterStrike tag when playing CounterStrike. Please note that having a badge for one game does not entitle the holder to wear the tag for another. The badge denotes the permission and is awarded by the Section Head. Badges within a section may be colour-coded to denote admin status.
Badges will also be awarded for being a LAN attendee, a quality forum poster, forum moderator and for being a ...
Community Supporter
We have reviewed our financing model and the conclusion is that the time has now come to make changes. We are currently funded by the collection of LAN fees and a few donations. In an effort to try to raise funds from the broader community we will be introducing a completely voluntary annual subscription. Although the subscription will be entirely optional, only subscribers will be entitled to:
An avatar for use on the forum.
A signature for use on the forum.
An increased PM allowance on the forum.
Gallery upload rights.
A discounted LAN fee.
A 'Community Supporter' badge.
There will be a 'Special Badge' awarded to those members who have achieved the following badges:
Community Supporter
LAN Attendee
Forum Quality
At least one 'Game Tag' badge
It should be noted that the names for these badges have yet to be finalised.
Infraction Process
Unacceptable behaviour by members or guests whether in-game or on the forum will initially be dealt with by an admin/moderator. It is the duty of that admin/moderator to bring to the attention of the Section Head any punishment they have given out along with any supporting evidence. Should the person punished wish to appeal either against the punishment or the behaviour of the admin/moderator involved then that appeal will be handled by the Section Head. The Section Head's decison is final. Should a community admin or moderator wish to make a complaint against a Section Head then that will be handled by both Tealeaf and OldBloke.
It is the responsibility of the Section Heads to ensure that their admins/moderators have clear 'rules of engagement'.
When does this all happen?
We are aiming to have these changes in place for the New Year.
Any ideas how much the subscription will be?
Quote from: target;251264Any ideas how much the subscription will be?
We are working with an initial figure of 12GBP alongside a LAN discount of 5GBP per attendance.
Quote from: OldBloke;251265We are working with an initial figure of 12GBP
That is per annum so just a measly £1 per month :)
seems more than reasonable to me :)
Quote from: BlueBall;251266That is per annum so just a measly £1 per month :)
Last time this was up, I asked about the possibility to pay for longer periods? Say 1 year or more? Fewer paypal fees and more for dMw... I would not mind doing three years in one go fx.
We would expect most people would want to pay for the Calendar year up front rather than £1 per month and this can be done via paypal.
I'm sure we can work in a facility for those that would like to pay for more than one year at a time but we just need to check with Gandy whether the system can handle that (with regards to the tag etc remaining in place etc rather than resetting each year)..... With the new structure, the 'Community Supporter' tag and the 'LAN attendee' tag will be reset on an annual basis. *
PEN
* I think that's right anyway. I'm sure OB will amend this post as necessary :)
Quote from: Penfold;251271We would expect most people would want to pay for the year up front rather than £1 per month and this can be done via paypal.
I'm sure we can work in a facility for those that would like to pay for more than one year at a time but we just need to check with Gandy whether the system can handle that (with regards to the tag etc remaining in place etc rather than resetting each year)..... With the new structure, the 'Community Supporter' tag and the 'LAN attendee' tag will be reset on an annual basis.
PEN
If you want, I have a Windows $ program for it you can use to see how finances and such are going :rolleyes:
I hope you guys do take in consideration on how I manage my communityfunding and such lol.
I don't mind paying a subscribed thing and stick to selling syrupwaffles aswell.
Good luck all section-heads and so!
Quote from: DuVeL;251273If you want, I have a Windows $ program for it you can use to see how finances and such are going :rolleyes:
I hope you guys do take in consideration on how I manage my communityfunding and such lol.
I don't mind paying a subscribed thing and stick to selling syrupwaffles aswell.
Good luck all section-heads and so!
I am confident that you will be presented the syrup waffel tag.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/2368198012_89d5d9715b.jpg?v=0)
:lmfao: mats.
Pete, we're really grateful for all you, and others do, donating to the Community whether by sales of Syrup Waffles, contributions to the auction or by donating cash. However, due to the automated system, I'm not sure whether we'll be able to set the Community Funding tag to anything other than subscribers.... otherwise it'll be a logistical nightmare trying to keep up with it all.
As you can see from the LAN and Server funding thread - you, amongst others, are very generous - as are the LAN attendees who currently all but fund the Community.
The idea behind giving LAN attendees a rebate is that if one turns up to the two LANs, the reduced LAN fee (@ £5 each LAN) will mean that the 'Community Supporter' badge actually only costs £2 in real terms (or £7 if people come to one LAN).
Other contributions over and above that are really welcomed - and needed.
:thumbsup2:
PEN
Quote from: Dr Sadako;251277I am confident that you will be presented the syrup waffel tag.
Surely I get that badge right from the start ??? :) :dribble::dribble::dribble:
Ok - let's please keep thread on topic chaps.
PEN
QuoteForum Structure
We will be introducing a collection of badges that will be awarded to individual members based on their participation within the community. These badges will be displayed as part of the member's forum profile for all to see. For example: if a member is awarded the CounterStrike 'Game Tag' badge it means they are entitled to wear the community's CounterStrike tag when playing CounterStrike. Please note that having a badge for one game does not entitle the holder to wear the tag for another. The badge denotes the permission and is awarded by the Section Head. Badges within a section may be colour-coded to denote admin status.
Badges will also be awarded for being a LAN attendee, a quality forum poster, forum moderator and for being a ...
With regard to the above can someone clarify the above part that is bolded. Does this relate to the dmw tag or to an admin tag or simply to a badge in the forum. Bascially does each member need to be approved to have the game tag in each game before using it or am i reading too far into it?
Otherwise nice work :D.
Thinking outside the box on the badges for a moment would a "number of lans attended badge" be considered?
Quote from: GhostMjr;251282Thinking outside the box on the badges for a moment would a "number of lans attended badge" be considered?
that would be cool. Sheepy's complete attendance would look awesome :flirty:
gamer tag , stars , ect, its a bit like xbox live? which is a good thing :whistle:
Quote from: GhostMjr;251282.. With regard to the above can someone clarify the above part that is bolded ...
Let's take CounterStrike and CoD4 as an example:
If the Section Head for CounterStrike (Whitey) is happy that a member plays CounterStrike in a manner that befits the guidelines and the member has no disqualifying infractions - then he will award that member the 'CounterStrike Badge'. This allows that member to wear the CounterStrike tag
when playing CounterStrike. It does not, for example, allow the member to wear the CoD4 tag when playing CoD4. To do this the member would need to have been awarded the 'CoD4 Badge'.
Quote from: GhostMjr;251282With regard to the above can someone clarify the above part that is bolded. Does this relate to the dmw tag or to an admin tag or simply to a badge in the forum. Bascially does each member need to be approved to have the game tag in each game before using it or am i reading too far into it?
Otherwise nice work :D.
Thinking outside the box on the badges for a moment would a "number of lans attended badge" be considered?
We're talking about game tags GM. Can't think of a better way of wording it than the way Oldie did. So the game tag for CSS is -=[dMw]=-, the game tag for COD4 is different, etc, etc. Admins use the same in-game tag as everyone else. So, everyone needs to be awarded the specific game badge by the section head of the specific game as they will be controlling the administration of the 'forum group' which automatically appends the badge to your forum account.
Re the multiple LAN adges, not sure. I suspect it would mean too much work and potentially too many badges. I would immediately be entitled to 14 LAN attendee badges for example and we do not have unlimited space for badges!
TL.
Well the Badge that is designed could have the number in it. I dont think the change of it would be that great. But not very artisic so will leave it to the ones with talent.
Like the ideas and looking forward to implementations.
Quote from: BrotherTobious;251292Well the Badge that is designed could have the number in it. I dont think the change of it would be that great
Quote from: TeaLeaf;251291Re the multiple LAN adges, not sure. I suspect it would mean too much work and potentially too many badges. I would immediately be entitled to 14 LAN attendee badges for example and we do not have unlimited space for badges!
Yeah I was thinking numbers i a badge as well :)
Thanks for the clarification of the community changes OB and TL.
Regarding the Lan Badges idea i see your point TL. Even if we did design a lan badge for the number of lans attended this would cause a bit too much work as each year it would need to be updated to show the true number.
Seems good to me, so does this mean that if a Bravo member who plays a game new to themselves (Cod 4 for me for example), they would just remove their tag?
Yes. Individual game tags will be earned and awarded per game, so you might have the Wow one and the CSS one, but not the COD4 one for example.
Quote from: Lee;251295Seems good to me, so does this mean that if a Bravo member who plays a game new to themselves (Cod 4 for me for example), they would just remove their tag?
No more Bravo (or Charlie for that matter) :D
Section Heads will have the option to adopt a 'triallist' stage. This may or may not involve a distinct badge/tag. Unlike the old 'Bravo' group, the 'triallist' stage will be time limited i.e. you make the grade in the timescale dictated or you lose the chance to get the badge.
Quote from: GhostMjr;251294Thanks for the clarification of the community changes OB and TL.
Regarding the Lan Badges idea i see your point TL. Even if we did design a lan badge for the number of lans attended this would cause a bit too much work as each year it would need to be updated to show the true number.
The only way I reckon this would be doable is if you banded it. 1-5 Lans, 5-10 Lan, 10-15 Lans and over 15 Lans for example.
Although unless someone comes up with the artwork it ain't going to happen.
PEN
Quote from: Penfold;251302it ain't going to happen.
PEN
yeah.... (way too much admin with multi groups otherwise)
Sounds like a bright future ahead.
Thank you for you're continued efforts.
Is there also coming a "thingy" for members that gonna play CS:S matches for dMw.?
Quote from: KKND;251333Is there also coming a "thingy" for members that gonna play CS:S matches for dMw.?
I have thought about this and I'll discuss it with Whitey.
It all seems like a good idea to me, would students and pensioners get a discount? :2cents:
Not that either apply to me
All looking good to me! :D
What about secondary games we play such as Insurgency? Will these come under a primary game heading? i.e. Insurgency under CSS?
Cheers.
Quote from: Jabbs;251347All looking good to me! :D
What about secondary games we play such as Insurgency? Will these come under a primary game heading? i.e. Insurgency under CSS?
Cheers.
The game badges will only be for fully adopted games.
Quote from: Sithvid;251346It all seems like a good idea to me, would students and pensioners get a discount? :2cents:
Not that either apply to me
I'd like to think that £1 a month is a small enough amount for anyone's budget tbh. Besides, like the venerable one said, it's not compulsory.
PEN
Quote from: OldBloke;251301No more Bravo (or Charlie for that matter) :D
Section Heads will have the option to adopt a 'triallist' stage. This may or may not involve a distinct badge/tag. Unlike the old 'Bravo' group, the 'triallist' stage will be time limited i.e. you make the grade in the timescale dictated or you lose the chance to get the badge.
Fair enough, sounds good! This way people won't feel disappointed if they don't get to Charlie, etc.
So will everyone except section heads be trialists for a couple of weeks? or are charlies straight in and bravo's have trials?? (sorry if silly question)
What about the LAN signup? Currently, Charlie members get advanced signup to the LAN. How will this change?
Also, are we looking at a complete reset for everyone or will the Section Heads decide at the outset who qualifies?
NF
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;251376What about the LAN signup? Currently, Charlie members get advanced signup to the LAN. How will this change?
Community Supporters get the early booking perk.
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;251376Also, are we looking at a complete reset for everyone or will the Section Heads decide at the outset who qualifies?
Section Heads will decide the badge holders for their own sections.
Quote from: Penfold;251356I'd like to think that £1 a month is a small enough amount for anyone's budget tbh. Besides, like the venerable one said, it's not compulsory.
PEN
I agree and will pay my subs, my point is with younger folks who may not have access to Paypal etc or the funds (no offence to any students out there ) but are worthy members of the community, perhaps could be given some latitude.
Quote from: Sithvid;251397I agree and will pay my subs, my point is with younger folks who may not have access to Paypal etc or the funds (no offence to any students out there ) but are worthy members of the community, perhaps could be given some latitude.
How about 51 North?
Quote from: BlueBall;251399How about 51 North?
before i look it up where is that ?
Quote from: Sithvid;251397I agree and will pay my subs, my point is with younger folks who may not have access to Paypal etc or the funds (no offence to any students out there ) but are worthy members of the community, perhaps could be given some latitude.
Then they should get jobs the lazy, skivving, hoody-wearing good for nuthin's. :flirty:
ATEOTD it's not my call and far more intelligent people than I will make that judgement. We do have a couple of young 'uns and a couple of depressingly, really make you feel old, young uns.
PEN
Quote from: Sithvid;251400before i look it up where is that ?
Not sure but the Talisker Distillery is 57° North if that helps.
And they've also just launched a rather nice new cask-strength of that very name.
QuoteTalisker, 57 Degrees North (Scotland)
The latest expression of Talisker is named in recognition of the fact that Talisker distillery on the Isle of Skye has an unusually high latitude, and it becomes the only regularly available ‘full strength’ version of the acclaimed island malt. The whisky carries no age statement, but brand owner Diageo confirms it has been matured exclusively in American oak refill casks. The nose offers a very attractive blend of rich, spicy fruit and smoke from a bonfire beside the sea. With time, the fruit fades somewhat, and spent matches appear. Perhaps they were used to light the bonfire! Full-bodied and warming on the complex palate, with initially intense fruitiness followed by increasing smoky spice and pepper notes. Water teases out sweet peat and barley sugar. The finish is long and gently smoky, with characteristic Talisker chilli powder lingering to the very end. Another cracker from the shores of Loch Harport! 57.0% ABV, 100cl, £43.99, Duty Free & Travel Retail.
PEN
First produced in 1801 by William Edward (grocer & wine merchant in Aberdeen).
owner Seagram Distillers Plc.
click for details
comments Chivas Regal Blended Scotch Whisky is the worlds leading premium blended scotch whisky.
Chivas Regal contains around 40 percent malt including 4 percent Strathisla.
Information from Blended Scotch by Jim Murray
"Transform your Scotch Whisky Knowledge"
sithy's fave scotch, did we hijack the thread i wonder
I think that £1 a month should be accessible for most people really. I used to get £1 a week pocket money and that wasn't anything big in my days (Need to stop reminiscing here!).
Quote from: Lee;251412I think that £1 a month should be accessible for most people really. I used to get £1 a week pocket money and that wasn't anything big in my days (Need to stop reminiscing here!).
Yeah it seriously is nothing when you are part of a community that is growning and changing and not stagnating as some others might do :sideways:
at my old CS clan we had a £1 minimum a month but most of us donated £5, as for people with out paypal they sent a cheque to one of the clan leaders, ppl who couldnt afford £5 a month sent a £12 paypal/cheque for the year to a clan leader.
cheques are just as do-able a paypal, same amount of community accounting required
just an idea
Really any form of cash is acceptable :)
We have a dedicated bank account so inter-bank transfers are fine. If people want to send us a cheques then that too is fine. I don't mind getting cheques then transferring the money to the account as needed (as would any of the admins I imagine).
At the end of the day we do need regular income for hosting, bandwidth and hardware so we all get to keep our little slice of heaven on the internet.
PEN
Quote from: Penfold;251446Really any form of cash is acceptable :)
PEN
However, we want to automate as much of the administration as possible. Which means that there will be a preferred means of subscribing which we will ask members to use in preference to any other method.
Quote from: Sithvid;251397I agree and will pay my subs, my point is with younger folks who may not have access to Paypal etc or the funds (no offence to any students out there ) but are worthy members of the community, perhaps could be given some latitude.
Paypal state that members much be 18 to legally use their services so I can see that being a problem for younger members. However, mostly when outside the UK since it costs a freaking surcharge of £3.5 for SWIFT/IBAN. That said, I don't think we have that many members in that situation? If so, they could either - buy for a longer period to avoid several transfers or pay in cash when at a LAN.
Regarding a student discount, with all respect, I don't think you can do the dmw arrangement any cheaper than £12 for a whole year (even w/o attending LANs).
Edit: with the new structure: if a game comes up, which requires server rental (like fx if we wanted a ranked bf2 server back then) would dMw consider funding such things now - or is the new structure budgetted to only provide approx the same inflow of cash as the old?
Quote from: OldBloke;251354The game badges will only be for fully adopted games.
Sorry if i'm being thick, but i'm still a bit confused. Obviously we want to promote dMw on whatever games we play. Suppose someone has got the game badge for CS:S, but then goes to play some Insurgency on another server. Are they entitled to wear the dMw CS:S tag? Is the tag just not allowed to be used at all when playing games not officially supported by dMw?
Quote from: delanvital;251452... Edit: with the new structure: if a game comes up, which requires server rental (like fx if we wanted a ranked bf2 server back then) would dMw consider funding such things now - or is the new structure budgetted to only provide approx the same inflow of cash as the old?
We will always aim to provide what the community wants - as long as there's the numbers willing to support a new idea (critical mass).
We have no idea how many people will subscribe. We have included some benefits for subscribers as an inducement
but if only the same people who used to donate subscribe and the LAN attendees remain the same then our income should be as it was. That will cover our costs for now but we need to have a small contingency fund so that, as happened recently, we don't need to rely on the goodwill of one of our members to provide temporary funding.
Quote from: Carr0t;251458Sorry if i'm being thick, but i'm still a bit confused. Obviously we want to promote dMw on whatever games we play. Suppose someone has got the game badge for CS:S, but then goes to play some Insurgency on another server. Are they entitled to wear the dMw CS:S tag? Is the tag just not allowed to be used at all when playing games not officially supported by dMw?
Ah yes, I would like clarification on this one too :D
Thanks!
Quote from: Penfold;251356I'd like to think that £1 a month is a small enough amount for anyone's budget tbh. Besides, like the venerable one said, it's not compulsory.
PEN
To be honest I thought that £1 a month was not very much at all, are you sure that's all that's needed? I'm quite sure many people could afford and would be prepared to pay at least double that.
Quote from: Carr0t;251458Sorry if i'm being thick, but i'm still a bit confused. Obviously we want to promote dMw on whatever games we play. Suppose someone has got the game badge for CS:S, but then goes to play some Insurgency on another server. Are they entitled to wear the dMw CS:S tag? Is the tag just not allowed to be used at all when playing games not officially supported by dMw?
We most definately *do* want to promote our excellent playing style on other servers so, as a general rule, ask the Section Head to make a call on it.
It's fairly obvious that there will be considerable crossover where very similar game-types are involved. For instance: someone who has played copious amounts of CounterStrike and has been awarded their CS badge will, when being considered for their CoD4 badge, be looked on with less scrutiny than someone without a FPS based badge. The similarities in teamwork and objectives are such that it could be safely assumed that one befits the other. However, in *all* cases it's the Section Head that will make the decision.
Quote from: OldBloke;251476We most definately *do* want to promote our excellent playing style on other servers so, as a general rule, ask the Section Head to make a call on it.
It's fairly obvious that there will be considerable crossover where very similar game-types are involved. For instance: someone who has played copious amounts of CounterStrike and has been awarded their CS badge will, when being considered for their CoD4 badge, be looked on with less scrutiny than someone without a FPS based badge. The similarities in teamwork and objectives are such that it could be safely assumed that one befits the other. However, in *all* cases it's the Section Head that will make the decision.
Thanks OldBloke but could you clarify what sections the secondary games come under? Ta.
Quote from: OldBloke;251476For instance: someone who has played copious amounts of CounterStrike and has been awarded their CS badge will, when being considered for their CoD4 badge, be looked on with less scrutiny than someone without a FPS based badge. The similarities in teamwork and objectives are such that it could be safely assumed that one befits the other. However, in *all* cases it's the Section Head that will make the decision.
So, If you play a little bit of CS. A little bid of COD4. The occasional taste of LFS and Lots for insurgency you're in danger of having no badges?
Quote from: Zootoxin;251491So, If you play a little bit of CS. A little bid of COD4. The occasional taste of LFS and Lots for insurgency you're in danger of having no badges?
Common sense on behalf of the section admins will ensure that everyone gets their just desserts. :norty:
Quote from: Zootoxin;251491So, If you play a little bit of CS. A little bid of COD4. The occasional taste of LFS and Lots for insurgency you're in danger of having no badges?
It's not meant to be punitive. Tags (like Charlie) are not awarded on how often you play or your skill level (thank God!), but more on your ability to play as a teamplayer and to fit into the dMw ethos/spirit of game play.
The Section Heads aren't stupid (well for the most part :rolleyes:) and common sense will prevail.
PEN
Quote from: Jabbs;251487Thanks OldBloke but could you clarify what sections the secondary games come under? Ta.
Only supported games have a section. Secondary (other) games don't come under any section so I don't really understand the question.
As I said in an earlier example - if you want to wear the tag you've earned for CounterStrike in another similar but
unsupported game/mod then ask the Section Head of CounterStrike it it's appropriate to do so.
Quote from: OldBloke;251504Only supported games have a section. Secondary (other) games don't come under any section so I don't really understand the question.
No problem, thanks. I was misunderstanding your earlier reply (see the cut down version below) re asking the Section head but of course secondary games (Insurgency for example) don't have a Section head. One could assume that this would be Whitey's domain I guess but we all know what assuming means don't we? ASS U ME :D
Quote from: OldBloke;251476...as a general rule, ask the Section Head to make a call on it...
... However, in *all* cases it's the Section Head that will make the decision.
When is payment taken place also next year ore this year.:g:
Quote from: Jabbs;251508No problem, thanks. I was misunderstanding your earlier reply (see the cut down version below) re asking the Section head but of course secondary games (Insurgency for example) don't have a Section head. One could assume that this would be Whitey's domain I guess but we all know what assuming means don't we? ASS U ME :D
Ahh. I can see now how my answer was confusing - 'Ask the Section Head' - yeah but which one? :D
If the game has obvious links i.e. a mod of an existing supported game then it's the SH of that game that needs to be approached.
I wish we never started this :D
Quote from: OldBloke;251555Ahh. I can see now how my answer was confusing - 'Ask the Section Head' - yeah but which one? :D
If the game has obvious links i.e. a mod of an existing supported game then it's the SH of that game that needs to be approached.
I wish we never started this :D
peeeing myself laughing :D
Looks like good times ahead for the deadmen :yahoo:,i also think £1 pm isnt a lot to ask of anyone,especialy when you think what you have to pay for xbox live and such.
ps, lan virgin on his way to march in april:rolleyes:
ranger
Quote from: OldBloke;251555Ahh. I can see now how my answer was confusing - 'Ask the Section Head' - yeah but which one? :D
If the game has obvious links i.e. a mod of an existing supported game then it's the SH of that game that needs to be approached.
I wish we never started this :D
LOL.
If I recall correctly at the meeting we had at the LAN, we felt that all supported games would most likely fall into one of the three existing categories:
First Person Shooters (Whitey/Armitage)
Driving (Doors)
WoW or similar MMORPG (Sheepy)
The idea is that we have a template for each of those categories. IIRC, the thought was that any newly adopted games would probably fall under one of the above and therefore under the aegis of that relevant Section Head.
There are a couple of omissions but we can cross that bridge when we come to it (such as if a RTS game e.g. C&C and flight/other Sims for instance became widely adopted).
That's from memory (the minutes are at the office) and I've had a wee Talisker so may be a little off the mark but hey ho I'm sure someone will be along shortly to pick up the pieces if I'm wrong... :)
PEN
That's clearer, thanks!
Who's in charge of Peggle?
Quote from: smilodon;251747Who's in charge of Peggle?
I think you just volunteered :)
Quote from: smilodon;251747Can I be in charge of Peggle?
Looks like it to me :rolleyes:
2nded that sorted quickly whats next!!!
I have a job already.
Sounds great to me :D
1£ a month sounds nice to me :) Looking forward to seeing the new stuff in action, hopefully i get sorted in the new place soonish
All sounds good to me.
12 pounds is a great "bang4buck"; this community provides a great home for gamers of all sorts (and ages ;-) ). personally, I try to contribute more per year, but naturally this depends on the abilities of each member.
however, the de-tagging is somewhat strange: if a member playing CSS buys COD4 and joins our server, should he remove the tag? in my case, I guess someone will recognize me, due to my superb name, but other names? other players? (btw, I always wonder who the "blunt" playing on other UK servers, mainly UKCS, is...)
Quote from: Le Rouge;252641...
however, the de-tagging is somewhat strange: if a member playing CSS buys COD4 and joins our server, should he remove the tag?
You can only wear a tag if you are playing a game where you have been awarded the badge for it.
Got the CS badge? You can wear the CS tag in game.
Not got the CoD4 badge? You must *not* wear the CoD4 tag in game
even if you have a CS badge.
I know; that's what I thought may be strange for some.
IMHO, if you are worthy of one, you are worthy of all. I can't see a DMWer of COD going rogue in CSS and start frag hunting, for example. Or crashing cars on purpose in a race. Those who are part of our community, have proven their behaviour, and have chosen us due to the same demand to bahave as such. After all, it's not the skill, it's the atitude.
Quote from: Le Rouge;252641-(btw, I always wonder who the "blunt" playing on other UK servers, mainly UKCS, is...)
Not me m8:D
Quote from: OldBloke;252653You can only wear a tag if you are playing a game where you have been awarded the badge for it.
Will there be a test?
:eyebrow:
Quote from: DogMeat;252666Will there be a test?
:eyebrow:
I can't say I'm over keen on the whole deal with having to prove myself worthy of wearing the tag in each & every game we might happen to play, i thought we signed up to the dmw way as a package with an agreement that we played games like there ment to be played whatever that game may be.
I don't believe there's any restriction on playing any of the games dMw host, with the exception of WOW where as I understand it, more traditional raiding guild requirements are in place. We can still log into CS:S or have a go at L4D etc. Only the community standards, which have always applied, govern what we can do on our servers.
The gaming tags are just a recognition and symbol that we play a specific game a lot and have positively contributed to that game within the community. As I understand it we can still play the games hosted here whether we have a badge or not.
I'll play the odd game of CS:S but I doubt I'll ever wear a CS:S forum badge, as I don't play that often or contribute anything specific to the section. So I can freely play the game without having to work towards the badge.
Quote from: RizZy;252688I can't say I'm over keen on the whole deal with having to prove myself worthy of wearing the tag in each & every game we might happen to play, i thought we signed up to the dmw way as a package with an agreement that we played games like there ment to be played whatever that game may be.
That is indeed true were we just playing team-based first person shooters which is why I said in one of my earlier replies that there will be a lot of crossover. But, for example, we now support a driving section for racing sims. What we identified was that it was not appropriate for members of Charlie Section (as was) to wear the Dead Men Racing tag (dMr) while they were coming to terms with the skills needed to drive properly. Just as guests on our CounterStrike servers judge us by the way we play - guests on our racing servers will judge us by the way we drive. If they see a tag-wearing driver lurching around the track then that damages our reputation. So if we have this 'test' of suitability to wear the dMr tag then, to be fair, we must have it for all sections.
Lets just say there are four people playing COD4 all long serving members of the dMw community but none of them have a badge..
Also on said server are some publics, there are no badge wearing dMw's playing.
Wouldn't this undermine the status of the 4 dMw players, fail to display the dMw ethos and promote more lax attitude from the publics, who think there are no admins to punish their mis-behaviour?
Quote from: Zootoxin;252699Lets just say there are four people playing COD4 all long serving members of the dMw community but none of them have a badge..
Also on said server are some publics, there are no badge wearing dMw's playing.
There are more people in -=[dMw]=- that are into CoD4 (especially after the LAN) but don't have the time to play it on the days most people are on (me as example).
I reckon the apropiate admins take the right measurements or you could allways drop them a friendly PM. :flirty:
EDIT, In most games I play online I use my tag. Sometimes people just ask what it stands for or you get people who know our tag from matches or other games.
Quote from: Zootoxin;252699Lets just say there are four people playing COD4 all long serving members of the dMw community but none of them have a badge..
Sorry Zoot but that's too vague a scenario for me to answer properly. For example those four could all be highly respected long term members of Dead Men Racing trying CoD4 for the evening. Do you want to see them wearing the CoD4 tag while they stumble around learning the ropes? Works both ways.
Don't get too hung up on this change in tag wearing rules. Large doses of common sense will be applied when the decisions on who gets to wear what are made by the Section Heads.
i decided to start this as a new topic as i didnt want to clog up the offical thread
what we need to do is edge on the side of cautiion, ill explain
once upon a time there was (and still is ) a clan called RIP( the one the big boys and i was a member of), now this clan was primarily for bf2. At the start everything was good in RIP land, the leaders decided to use army ranks and badges to donate ppls standing in the clan, at first everyone was happy even sgt sulky. After a few months ppl started to notice tha newer members were getting immediate promotions to officer ranks because they played for 10 mins more a week than him or her.
Some ppl werent happy(and other things which im not going in to) with this, so needless to say ppl started leaving because they were seeing Newbies(for a better word) getting promoted above them and showered with badges.
Eventualy some of the clan founders left, paddy,magnus and dewey decided that things werent the way they had imagined at the start and that the ranks and badges system was being abused(as well as some other details which i wont.....).
sgt sulky decided to stick it out for a while, he was the temp oic of the training academy and the chief helo instructor. Youll be rewarded sulky was told, in fact sulky was putting in far to much bf2 and neglecting his other clan (cant remember their name :narnar:). to cut a long story short it turned out that sulky wasnt rewarded and some new guy got his job so sulky lost his admin powers, etc, which even affected how he trained new helo pilots.
Sulky aired his views publically on the forums and waited, but nothing form the clan leaders and so left. funny thing about a month later 90% of the bf2 players left and formed a new clan with no ranks and everyone equal, the only thing is ppl do a probation period when they join.
the end
I only hope section admins have a sensible head on them, i dont play cs:s or cod4 or much as i would like too at the moment due to work issues, but if i was told i couldnt wear my dmw tags i would be angry.
The reason why i ask for caution is that a wee while ago i was told that i couldnt admin the dmw servers as there were to many and we needed a level playing field. there was a course offered and i was happy to doit but i had to go away for a while o dig in some sand. Now i went away for a couple of months to a nice place and come back and find loads of admins some of who were bravos at the time and some who id never seen before. i was angry and didnt aire my opinions as i was too ****ed off
Same goes for cod4 i was there for the whole time at the start trying to help get the server up, i offfered to be an admin and i was told i wouldnt be as they had some , which coincidently turned out to be most of the css admins, newer ppl included as well, which also didnt please a couple of other ppl, im not going to name names as i get on with all of you here but i just wanted to aire my worries over past occurences.
this is not an excuse for a flaming, i ask only that post sensible opinions in response, as in how you really feel as i think ppl could be scared to do so.
i have enjoyed my time here and i like everyone here and i want to stay here
if anyone really doesnt like what i said then pm me not flame me
rant over
Thanks for the post Sulky, it is appreciated that you felt you could be open about your feelings. We will, of course, take this on-board.
I'll echo what BlueBall has said and also thank you for your candid post.
I would like to say this as a message to everyone ...
What we have here at Dead Men Walking is a very special community. We rightly pride ourselves on our long established reputation for mature attitude, fairplay and teamwork. The people charged with running our community will do their utmost to ensure that that reputation is enduring. We have the difficult task of trying to provide a structured community with rules and guidelines whilst always remembering that at the end of the day it must also be fun.
This would be a lot easier if we, the people running our community, were all board members of some large multinational company. But we're not. So please remember - although we all try to be as professional as we can, in truth we're just a bunch of volunteers doing our best to provide the community with the best gaming experience we possibly can.
I'm not usually allowed to comment on changes to -=[dMw]=-, but I can keep quiet no longer:
I think we need to hit the ground running, keep our eye on the ball, and make sure that we are singing off the same song sheet. At the end of the day it is not a level playing field and the goal posts may move; if they do, someone else may have to pick them up and run with it. We therefore must have a golf bag of options hot-to-trot from the word 'go'. It is your train set but we cannot afford to leave it on the back burner; we've got a lot of irons in the fire right now.
We will need to un-stick a few potential poo traps but it all depends on the flash-to-bang time and fudge factor allowed. Things may end up slipping to the left and, if they do, we will need to run a tight ship. I don't want to re-invent the wheel but we must get right in to the weeds on this one. If push comes to shove, we may have to up stumps and then we'll be in a whole new ball game.
I suggest we test the water with a few warmers in the bank. If we can produce the goods then we are cooking with gas. If not, then we are in a world of hurt. I don't want to die in a ditch over it but we could easily end up in a flat spin if people start getting twitchy. To that end, I want to get round the bazaars and make sure the movers and the shakers are on-side from day one. If you can hit me with your shopping list I can take it to the head honchos and start the ball rolling.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and I think we have backed a winner here. If it gets blown out the water, however, I will be throwing a track. So get your feet into my in-tray and give me chapter and verse as to how you see things panning out. As long as our ducks are in a row I think the ball will stay in play and we can come up smelling of roses.
Before you bomb burst and throw smoke, it is imperative we nail our colours very firmly on the mast and look at the big picture. We've got to march to the beat of the drum. We are on a sticky wicket. We'll need to play with a straight bat and watch out for fast balls.
I've been on permanent send for long enough and I've had my ten pence worth. I don't want to rock the boat or teach anyone to suck eggs. We must keep this firmly in our sight picture or it will fall between the cracks. If the cap fits, wear it, but it may seem like pushing fog up a hill with a sharp stick.
Very succinct and, as usual, very helpful if I may say so. Thank you for your valuable input. :)
LOL Doggers - that should be compulsory coursework on the avoidance of mixed metaphors :lmfao:
The idea of the badges is not 'rank' as such Sulks, but more to identify the games that people play. It's not meant to be restrictive and it's not punitive.
PEN
I just think I hit 6 full houses in b***hit bingo ( a great game to play on conference calls)
Just so I can get it, if we go off on to a public server and we have not earnt our tags we dont wear them. But if we have we wear the tags?
I always saw my old clan tags as not only a thing to earn and I understand the playing how we do and not beinging a bunch of muppets when learning a new game.
But Tags were also great way to advertise our community. Someone see us playing well and sees our Tags then they come and check us out.
So if you can confirm this for me caues I am a little lost atm. I am sorry if I covering old ground but I dont want to do something wrong when the changes are brought in.
Quote from: Penfold;252739LOL Doggers - that should be compulsory coursework on the avoidance of mixed metaphors :lmfao:
:lmfao: agree'd! That was great doggers, although I became over whelmed and lost the meaning to the end and had to read it a second time.
Quote from: Penfold;252739LOL Doggers - that should be compulsory coursework on the avoidance of mixed metaphors :lmfao:
The idea of the badges is not 'rank' as such Sulks, but more to identify the games that people play. It's not meant to be restrictive and it's not punitive.
PEN
My understand of the forum badges/icons were to show what the main game of the person was and to show whether they were a 'Player' 'Admin' or 'Section Head'. This to me isn't a bad thing but shows some structure.
With reference to people being made Admin over and above others, I guess it's like the real world. People are promoted in the real world and given jobs that others felt they should have been given. This is life.
Looking back, I'm sure there are some who would have thought the same about me going to Charlie so quickly (0-Charlie in 3 months). I can easily mention one or two others who have got Admin and I've thought at the time "That could have been me", but at the end of the day like I said..."That's life".
So to end my mini rant, keep with this community people, I KNOW all the leaders and admins have the best interests of the community at heart and I'm sure our contributions are listened to with all seriousness they deserve.
Shoot you later!
The thing thats been bothering me is, from reading a reply in the other post it made it sound to me as, for example, If I start playing CoD4 - obviously I'm not gonna be as good as everyone else thats played it from the start & I'm not going to be allowed to wear dMw tags untill I prove myself not to be an embarrassment? I always thought that once I'd originally proved myself worthy that'd cover me, but now I've gotta prove myself for every game we take up?
To quote OB -
QuoteFor example those four could all be highly respected long term members of Dead Men Racing trying CoD4 for the evening. Do you want to see them wearing the CoD4 tag while they stumble around learning the ropes? Works both ways.
Aslong as there not playing like twats then whats the problem in them wearing the tags?
Quote from: RizZy;252804As long as there not playing like twats then whats the problem in them wearing the tags?
This has really come about because we now cater for a wider range of game style than previously - such as racing/sims/mmorpg and these have less interchangeable skills.
Previously there was pretty much a direct correlation between games (i.e. all FPS styled). So you could pretty much migrate from one FPS to another with very little practice. CS -> BF -> BF2 -> COD
The issue now is that there are very different games and streams and the existing bravo and charlie membership structure works fine for CS and FPS games but is not relevant for racing (and WoW for that matter). It takes a lot of practice, for instance, to become anything near proficient on the racetrack. It just wouldn't work of for example I decided I wanted to have a race and rocked on up to the dMr server, donned my helmet and let rip wearing my dMw tag. There would a a gulf of difference between me driving and the other dMw'ers and wearing the tag would make a nonsence and mockery of it and reflect badly.. However, once I've done a few laps, learned the rules of the road, realised it's a race and not the dodgems (basically fit in with the gaming ethos), then I'd get the tag.. don't matter if I was slower than slow.
Same goes for CS and COD. It's not about ability - it never has been. You know as well as anyone it's all about teamplay, not being a complete plank and playing to the dMw style. How can someone who has only ever raced suddenly decide he fancies a game of COD and rock up to the CODpubbie server wearing the tag - until he has learned how we plan, the rules - both written and unwritten, and have a basic grasp of the teamplay?
As we've said, it's not meant punitive. It's just meant to identify the games you play. Really it's not going to be hard to get the tags, that's not the idea. It is only really to ensure that there is a basic standard across the servers so that we don't look like a bunch of amateurs.
PEN
I was under the impression the 'steenkin' padges' simply denote the games that you DO play. I don't play WoW so I wouldn't expect the 'padge' That doesn't mean that IF I wanted to play WoW (or any other s*dding game) I wouldn't be able to 'dMw' up, so to speak. However, I DO play LFS, CS:S and CoD4. I post a lot of crap in the forum so I hope I get a forum 'padge'. I've been to loads of LANs so....etc. Another 'however' if I decide to dip my toe into...(name the game) and don't like it, I wouldn't expect a 'padge' for that game.
That doesn't mean I'm a bad person
If I reread that I wont post it so 'click'
I've always thought that once you'd been sussed out, bravo'd then charlie'd, it was taken as read that whatever game you were playing, you would attempt to play with the dMw ethos, and that if you were wearing the tag, it was a given that you are an ambassador for the community.
we already have -=[dMw]=- and |dMw and -=[dMr]=- and SoG, and as far as I'm concerned, if one of the Racers, FPS'ers or Elves wants to play each others game, then I'd rather know that they were 1 of us.
I'm sure I haven't "got this":blink:
{posts from Sulky's thread in 'Seriously though' merged here to keep all in once place}
We're aware the difference between badges and tags and their usage is causing some confusion and will clarify the situation shortly.
Thanks
The problem is also that people will not feel part of the community really if they don't have the tag on. For example, I could go into the CoD4 server with just the name "Lee", i'm sure there are millions of people with that name but not millions with the dMw prefix, so there could be some confusion there. I guess i'm just wondering what this rule will truly achieve? Hopefully I haven't missed the explanation for this. :)
Quote from: Lee;252856The problem is also that people will not feel part of the community really if they don't have the tag on. For example, I could go into the CoD4 server with just the name "Lee", i'm sure there are millions of people with that name but not millions with the dMw prefix, so there could be some confusion there. I guess i'm just wondering what this rule will truly achieve? Hopefully I haven't missed the explanation for this. :)
I'm not to repeat the entire conversation here again. Like Oldie says:
Quote from: OldBloke;252695That is indeed true were we just playing team-based first person shooters which is why I said in one of my earlier replies that there will be a lot of crossover
. But, for example, we now support a driving section for racing sims. What we identified was that it was not appropriate for members of Charlie Section (as was) to wear the Dead Men Racing tag (dMr) while they were coming to terms with the skills needed to drive properly. Just as guests on our CounterStrike servers judge us by the way we play - guests on our racing servers will judge us by the way we drive. If they see a tag-wearing driver lurching around the track then that damages our reputation. So if we have this 'test' of suitability to wear the dMr tag then, to be fair, we must have it for all sections.
I think Whitey summed it up pretty well...
Quote from: WhiteyI think we need to just clarify that people who have been awarded the tag/badge by any of the Section heads on a dMw game will be fast tracked on any other dMw game.
For example: If someone has the dMr tag, then I know they are a mature level headed person. If they decide to play CS and have a grasp of the TCS rules then they would be awarded the CS tag/badge, no waiting for 3/6 months.
Now although it's totally up to the Section Admin of that particular game to award the badge - I'm pretty darn sure that most of it will happen instantaneously. It's not as though everyone's being sent back to start from scratch. if you're currrent at CS and COD then I imagine you'll be awarded the badge straight off. It's only if you start to play games you're not conversant in will there be a delay.
Are we totally off the ball here - does no one else appreciate that if someone who has only ever raced on dMR and never picked up a gun decides to dip their toe into CS:S then it's probably not a good idea they sport the -=[dMw]=- tag immediately until they've learned the rudimentary elements of TCS (and vice versa)?Some of the Game Section Admins have made it abundantly clear that they do not want people to migrate from one game stream to another and wear the tag for a game for which they have had no practical experience.
I couldn't agree more - if anyone there is unsure of this then I say be patient and see how it goes. :dribble:
Quote from: Penfold;252862IAre we totally off the ball here - does no one else appreciate that if someone who has only ever raced on dMR and never picked up a gun decides to dip their toe into CS:S then it's probably not a good idea they sport the -=[dMw]=- tag immediately until they've learned the rudimentary elements of TCS (and vice versa)?
Some of the Game Section Admins have made it abundantly clear that they do not want people to migrate from one game stream to another and wear the tag for a game for which they have had no practical experience.
The answer is then, that if I wanted to try my hand at driving on our dMr server I should wear my CSS -=[dMw]=- tag and all my comrades would know that I was a community member and a racing n00b.
Likewise, if a dMr tries out CSS with that tag, we would all be in the picture.
It happens occasionally with some SoG'ers, they wore that tag on our CSS server and we were all happy.
:2cents:
Quote from: Blunt;252903The answer is then, that if I wanted to try my hand at driving on our dMr server I should wear my CSS -=[dMw]=- tag and all my comrades would know that I was a community member and a racing n00b.
Likewise, if a dMr tries out CSS with that tag, we would all be in the picture.
It happens occasionally with some SoG'ers, they wore that tag on our CSS server and we were all happy.
:2cents:
Bleedin' sensible approach if you ask me :withstupid:
That wasn't difficult was it? :rolleyes: Where were YOU when we needed you? :D
Here comes grumpy trousers ...
This thread is for information and debate. All the points made here will be taken into consideration when the senior admins finalise their decisions.
The idea is good blunt.
But as SOG is gone and now has the same tag as the racing one...
Dead Men Raiding
and
Dead Men Racing
so what tags make we from that?
A community 'tag' for when in a non primary game sounds cool, something like:
dMw | Jabbs (c)
(c) standing for Community of course
So a list of suggestions then
-=[dMw]=-PlayerName for CSS/Insurgency/L4D
dMw|PlayerName for CoD 4/5
dMrPlayerName for Racing
dMp|PlayerName for WoW (P for pixies :flirty:)
dMc|PlayerName for community badge member participating in a new game on our servers.
:byebye:
Quote from: Ice Hawk;252927The idea is good blunt.
But as SOG is gone and now has the same tag as the racing one...
Dead Men Raiding
and
Dead Men Racing
so what tags make we from that?
Not quite. dMr is racing and DMR is raiding. It's all in the shift key. :flirty:
Quote from: Dr Sadako;252937So a list of suggestions then
-=[dMw]=-PlayerName for CSS/Insurgency/L4D
dMw|PlayerName for CoD 4/5
dMrPlayerName for Racing
dMp|PlayerName for WoW (P for pixies :flirty:)
dMc|PlayerName for community badge member participating in a new game on our servers.
:byebye:
well as far as I see, nothing really changes. We just rule that Tags must be worn on our servers.....oh hang on...
As long as the tags are slightly different, we should all know who's who.
:D
Quote from: Blunt;252945well as far as I see, nothing really changes. We just rule that Tags must be worn on our servers.....oh hang on...
As long as the tags are slightly different, we should all know who's who.
:D
lol true - all sounds good to me except the bosses will discuss it and come back to us with their decisions :norty: :D
Quote from: Jabbs;252958lol true - all sounds good to me except the bosses will discuss it and come back to us with their decisions :norty: :D
Only boss i have is my gf..:crying:
Quote from: KKND;252976Only boss i have is my gf..:crying:
Poor you ;-)
Quote from: Jabbs;252958lol true - all sounds good to me except the bosses will discuss it and come back to us with their decisions :norty: :D
And as if by magic ...
We now have a tag that identifies a dMw member
who holds a gaming badge but not for the game being played.
That tag will be:
.dMwThe tag will be placed
after the player's name i.e.
OldBloke.dMw If the game does not support the fullstop character then it can be replaced, in order, by ...
an underscore: OldBloke_dMw
a hyphen: OldBloke-dMw
a space: OldBloke dMw
This eliminates any complications around "Which of my tags should I wear when I play X"
So if Lee (who, in this example, has a badge for both CSS and CoD4) wants to try LFS he would join with the name of Lee.dMw
This lets every dMr tag wearer on the server know that here's a member of Dead Men Walking who has been awarded a badge in a game other than one supported by Dead Men Racing. It will be a beacon to Doorman and his team of admins that here's a dMw member who knows all about the dMw ethos and who might be looking to achieve his Dead Men Racing badge.
With this now decided it is time for the debating to stop and for us to get on with the considerable work necessary to implement the changes. I appreciate that there might be more 'What if ...' scenarios demanding answers but they will now have to wait until after we've rolled out the new system.
Many thanks for your input. :dmw:
Quote from: OldBloke;253060With this now decided it is time for the debating to stop and for us to get on with the considerable work necessary to implement the changes.. :dmw:
Here here! :yahoo:
Quote from: Ice Hawk;252927The idea is good blunt.
But as SOG is gone and now has the same tag as the racing one...
Dead Men Raiding
and
Dead Men Racing
so what tags make we from that?
Actually it's remarkably simple IceHawk, which I figured you would have known as you are a Wow player! You cannot have a tag for Wow, so Dead Men Raiding is known as just that, or if you are writing in shorthand on the forums and need an acronym then DMR as Doorman said.
The suffix tag posted by Oldie solves all problems though, so go pay Blizzard £10 and go change your name to Icehawk.dMw in-game! :roflmao:
Now let's go implement! :clap:
TL.
Just to make you all aware that the forum changes necessary to align with the new structure were implemented yesterday and that some further testing is ongoing. You will see that some of the Section Heads and Senior Admins have some of these badges already allocated. This is all part of the testing process and does not mean that the new system is live. Before that happens we will make sure that all the documentation is in place to ensure that, as far as possible, all your questions will be answered.
Not long now :)
Quote from: OldBloke;254055Just to make you all aware that the forum changes necessary to align with the new structure were implemented yesterday and that some further testing is ongoing. You will see that some of the Section Heads and Senior Admins have some of these badges already allocated. This is all part of the testing process and does not mean that the new system is live. Before that happens we will make sure that all the documentation is in place to ensure that, as far as possible, all your questions will be answered.
Not long now :)
Next stage is being implemented before the official rollout which is now planned for Monday 5th January 2009.
You will soon start to see your badges appear in your profile. Please be aware that they will not all appear magically at once so be patient and rest assured that any badges found to be wrong/missing will be sorted.
We're not quite finished with some of the detail surrounding the awarding of the badges but we will be going ahead with the rollout.
What needs to be done?
Gandalf is building a forum script that will ensure that members who are awarded an admin badge will get automatic entry to the 'Game Admins' section of the forum. Currently this has to be done manually so if you are an admin but cannot 'see' the admin section let your Section Head know.
Only 'Supporting Members' will be allowed to have a forum avatar and signature. This will not be ready at rollout but will be implemented in the near future.
Subscription/Donation
To avoid any confusion let me inform you that the 'Supporting Member' badge is only awarded to members who have setup a subscription - not to those making a donation. The two are totally different.
However, we are aware that some of you have made recent donations to the community that match or exceed the subscription fee. If you are such a member then please contact Penfold with the details of your donation and he will convert it to a subscription.
Finally, my sincere thanks to all those that put in so many hours of work in making this major change possible. :toast:
New Management Structure
TeaLeaf and I identified a problem with our old management structure that we felt would restrict the growth of the community. Under the old structure we empowered the 'Section Heads' to not only run their gaming section but also to help us run the community as a whole. This meant that when we look to support a game we have to try and find a suitable person to be appointed Section Head who can lead on the game and help run the community. There is a finite pool of suitable people and this ultimately leads to problems when we might want to adopt a game, but might not be able to find someone who is (a) committed to the game, (b) has the time to manage the new section and (c) is of sufficient standing to be involved with running the community.
To ensure that we continue to offer the greatest support to the maximum number of games, we will be making the following changes:
1. 'Section Head' will be renamed as 'Section Admin'. A Section Admin will run their own section in accordance with the community's rules, guidelines and standards but will no longer make decisions on the running of the community as a whole.
2. A new tier named 'Community Admin' will be created comprising no less than three members from the Community. These people, with the addition of TeaLeaf and OldBloke, creates a minimum group of five people working together to see that our standards are maintained, our reputation is upheld and that we are serving the needs of the community.
3. 'Community Leader' will change to 'Head Admin' with both TeaLeaf and OldBloke remaining as such.
The adoption of the term 'Admin' in the new structure is deliberate and is there to remind us that we are gamers and that gaming is fun.
By separating the functions and responsiblities we hope to free up the community to support games more easily as the Section Admin only has to look after their own game section. We feel that these changes will allow us to react more quickly to new games as they come out.
More details can be found here (http://www.deadmen.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=84874&postcount=1).